Update on Oceania fighters in the K-1 in Japan
It has been an extensive year in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Circuit. Jayson Vemoa (NZ) more commonly known as Supercharge is based at the Ichigeki Academy in Tokyo Japan, he has trained and coached some of the most well known K-1 fighters in the world. I catch up with Supercharge for a review of 2010.
– Tigerpromo (TP)
Team Sefo 2010 – K-1 Dynamite Show – Tokyo, Japan (L-R) Rony Sefo, Ray Sefo, Brice Ritani, Supercharge and Fai Falamoe – Photo credit: Stuart Tonkin
T.P: How has the year been in general for Oceania fighters in Japan thru 2010?
Supercharge: It has been a very interesting Chinese Year of the Tiger.
January – started well helping Ray Sefo fighting in New Year’s K-1 Dyamite in Tokyo Japan with a win over former WBO World Boxing Champion Yosuke Nishijima (Japan).
March – Jason Suttie (NZ) asked for my help in Japan to look after his fighter Antz Nansen (NZ) in a MMA match against a very experienced Japanese fighter Enson Inoue (Japan). It was a great night working with the New Zealand ETK crew despite Antz losing.
April – Ben Edwards (Australia) won the K-1 WGP Oceania and represented Oceania well later in the year in the K-1 WGP Final 16 Seoul Korea. He lost to Alistair Overeem (Holland)
September – Promoter Ray Matsumura (Japan) organized a Kiwi team to represent in Osaka, Japan. They won 4 matches and lost 1 in the NZ vs Japan (Tsuwamono X-fight rules). The NZ team consisted of Richie Hardcore (Leegar), Roger Earp (ETK), Pati Afoa (ETK), Shannon Foreman (Leegar) and Ben Sisam (Strikeforce).
October Mike Angove brought his Boxer Jamie Kang Bostic to Japan and won the OPBF Light Heavyweight Boxing Title with an impressive 1st round KO win over a very popular Japanese boxer Yuzo Kiyota (Japan).
Also in October Ray Sefo was a last minute replacement selected for the K-1 WGP Final 16 in Seoul Korea. He lost an exciting match to the upcoming K-1 Dutch star Tyrone Spong (Holland) who is trained by 4 time K-1 GP champion Enersto Hoost (Holland). Ray trains exclusively out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas USA and I help him out when he fights for K-1 in Japan.
T.P: We have read articles during the year about other K-1 fighters from various teams visiting ICHIGEKI ACADEMY to train with you could you inform us more on this
Supercharge: K-1 is a business attracting the best of the best fighters in the world so it makes sense at this level to get as much help as you can.
February 2010: Kejiro Maeda (Japan) more commonly known as Kyotaro from Team Dragon enlisted our help at Ichigeki to help prepare for his under100kg K-1 World Title defense against Peter Aerts (Holland). We helped him out in sparring and fight strategies at the Ichigeki Academy.
March 2010: At the K-1 WGP in Yokohama Japan, Keijiro Maeda implemented his fight plan and won convincingly by KO proving his fighting abilities and claiming the K-1 World Champion Title against a formidable World Class opponent like Peter Aerts. On the same fight show I was reunited with my former coach and Balmoral Lee Gar trainer Lolo Heimuli (NZ). He asked for my help in K-1 with his fighter Alexy Inogashov (Belarus) against Badr Hari (Morocco). This was a dream experience for me to be able to work together with my 1st coach / trainer Lolo and represent at this World Class level of K-1. Good times and great memories.
Helping out the NZ team at K-1 Yokohama Japan in April, Team Red Scorpian – Junior, Supercharge, Alexy Inogashov, Lolo Heimuli. Photo credit: Supercharge Ltd
T.P: We understand your main priority at Ichigeki is to train the elite Kyokushin Karate fighters selected worldwide for K-1. How have your Kyokushin fighters been doing in K-1?
Supercharge It’s not an easy road changing codes in any sport. We have been working with Ewerton Teixeira (Brazil) the 9th World Kyokushin Karate Champion for the past 3 years and now he has found his rhythm in K-1. In July 2010 at the K-1 WGP Oceania Tournament in Canberra Australia, Ewerton KO’ed his opponent Alex Roberts (U.K) in devastating fashion. October 2010 he fought a great match at the K-1 WGP Final 16 in Seoul Korea against Peter Aerts (Holland). Despite losing this match Ewerton provided an amazing performance in his fight against Peter that K-1 awarded him the reserve match at the K-1 WGP Final 8 in Tokyo Japan where he out fought and outclassed Errol Zimmerman (Curacao) for an impressive win.
K-1 Producer Tanigawa rated Ewerton Teixeira as one of the young upcoming K-1 stars at the K-1 World GP Final along with Gokan Saki (Turkey) and Daniel Ghita (Romania).
Team Ichigeki after a sucessful win in the K-1 WGP Finals, Tokyo Japan.
(L-R) Supercharge (NZ), Ewerton Teixeira (Brazil), Baboo Mauricio (Brazil). Photo credit: K-1 FEG
T.P: You mentioned athletes changing sport codes. We see you training other athletes from different sport codes. What are your views on athletes doing this?
Personal training for Hidetoshi Nakata at the Ichigeki Academy. Photo credit: Supercharge Ltd
Supercharge: Athletes are human and human nature requires variety. I have had the opportunity to train some high profile athletes and celebrities who have asked for the high intensity training required in the K-1 and martial arts. They absorb logistics learnt in this martial arts discipline and they incorporate it back into their own chosen sports and lifestyles. One of the athletes I have continued working a consistent basis is Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan) a former Italian football super star now retired from world class competition and I see the resilience that made him a football superstar when training him.
A well known Kyokushin practitioner Cameron Quinn (Australia) has been using his various martial arts experience and training to help in different sport codes. He was recruited by Stephen Kearney (NZRL Head Coach) this year to help prepare and train our very own NZ Kiwi World Champion League Team with successful results throughout 2010.
The bonus being based in Japan is that you get to meet some of the best fighters in the world. Photo credit: Antz Nansen
Whilst helping out Antz Nansen (NZ) for his MMA fight in April 2010, Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) came backstage to wish Antz luck for his fight and then he had a photo with the ETK support crew.
Kyotaro visted Team Ichigeki backstage to say thankyou for our help after his historic win against Peter Aerts at K-1 WGP Yokohama for the K-1 WORLD Heavyweight Title – April 2010. Photo credit: Supercharge Ltd
(L-R) Jan Soukup (Czech), Kou Tasei (Japan), Takumi Sato (Japan), Supercharge (NZ), Kyotaro (Japan), Baboo Mauricio (Brazil)
T.P: For the upcoming year can you see the possibility of other Oceania fighters breaking into the exclusive Japan fight circuit?
Supercharge: In my opinion the following people are maintaining a solid foundation and providing a healthy future for Martial Arts fighters in NZ.
Tank Todd with his FightTimes.com team are doing a great job informing on a wide spectrum of Martial Arts from Close Quarter Combat to the Traditional Martial Arts, giving an appreciation in all forms of combat to the NZ martial arts public.
Arash Shadan and his passion for reporting along with his NZfighter.com team is doing an outstanding job informing the martial arts public on the NZ amateur and pro fight scene in effect promoting a healthy NZ Martial Arts image to the fight sports world.
Sifu Phillip Lam (City Leegar) continues to expose the best NZ fighters to the world on the lucrative Asian circuit.
Doug Viney and Eugene Bareman from CKB (City Kickboxing) in Auckland are creating a clean outlook on kickboxing producing an up market image of the sport to the general public and corporate sector.
Douglas Santos and Steve Oliver are independently creating solid foundations for Jujitsu and MMA talent in NZ.
John Conway (Rebel Leegar) with his expert referee skills keeps everyone honest in the NZ sports fighting scene.
Lolo Heimuli (Balmoral Leegar) is continuing his championship style of coaching in the Olympic Boxing Ranks for the South Pacific region.
Chris Martin and Mike Angove have been doing a great job bringing NZ boxers to compete in the Japan boxing circuit with good results.
Jason Suttie from ETK brings some big fight names from Japan to fight in NZ exposing the local talent.
Victoria Nansen and Sue Glassey from the WMC Amateur Muay Thai Assoc in NZ have been busy organizing trips for the NZ amateur competitors to Thailand giving them the opportunity to compete against international opponents. They have a strong coaching team with Tojo Dixon and Eddy Tongalahi passing on their vast coaching knowledge and experience for the next generation.
Overall I think NZ is in capable hands. OSU!!!
I believe NZ has more undiscovered talent to follow the great world class fighters in K-1 like Ray Sefo, Mark Hunt, Shane Chapman, Jordan Tai and Jason Suttie. I hope to see more Kiwi’s follow these guys to the fighting shores of Japan and make even bigger impacts.
T.P: Any final thoughts to leave with the readers?
Supercharge: Live your Passion, Fight the Fear, Claim the Glory. Wishing Good luck to the next generation of New Zealand fighters coming up through the ranks they have some big shoes to fill.
Hopefully see you here in Japan sometime.
Thankyou to FightTimes.com for providing this medium so that this interview can update everyone back home in Aotearoa. OSU.
Sifu Phillip Lam (centre) the pioneer of sports fighting in New Zealand.
(L-R) Supercharge, Sifu Phillip Lam, Lolo Heimuli, Lolo Junior. Photo credit: Supercharge Ltd.
